Indonesian Soldiers Face Trial Over Acid Attack on Rights Activist

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Jakarta: Four Indonesian military intelligence officers have gone on trial over an acid attack that left a prominent human rights activist blind in one eye, in a case that has raised concerns about accountability within the armed forces.

The victim, Andrie Yunus of the KontraS rights group, was seriously injured in March when acid was thrown at him by two men on a scooter shortly after he recorded a podcast discussing the military's influence in government.

Prosecutors told a military court that the attack was a premeditated act of revenge carried out by the soldiers without official orders. They said the accused were angered by Yunus's opposition to a controversial law expanding the role of active-duty military personnel in government institutions.

The case prompted the arrest of four military intelligence members and the resignation of the head of the agency involved.

Rights groups have criticised the decision to try the suspects in a military court, arguing that civilian courts would provide greater transparency and accountability in a country where attacks on activists often go unpunished.

Pic Credit: AFP